MADRID — On December 21, Catalonia will hold new regional elections. Under other circumstances, these elections would be of little interest to the rest of Europe — we Catalans realize we are not the center of the universe. But today, I believe I am not exaggerating to say that these elections are being watched across the Continent, and without wishing to be presumptuous, perhaps of interest to the international community as a whole.

The Spanish government chose to call these elections, taking on the powers heretofore granted to the regional government, after Madrid completely took over the democratic institutions that run Catalonia, and after sending the bulk of the Catalan government to jail. These elections, therefore, take place in the following circumstances: The government chosen by Catalonia’s citizens are in jail, Catalonia’s institutions have been usurped, and the ultra-right carries out violence with impunity on Catalonia’s streets.

My party, the Republican Left of Catalonia, agreed to participate in these elections, which will be overseen by the Central Electoral Board in Madrid, even though we are facing violence and repression and are basically under siege. We accepted these conditions because we were the ones who defended the right of Catalonia’s citizens to go to the polls on October 1. We are again showing that we are in favor of ballot boxes, and we respect the will of the people that is expressed there, no matter what.

The question now is whether the Spanish government will do the same. And we don’t mean that they officially accept the will of the people, but whether they will really do this. That is to say, will they listen to what the voters actually say, or will they ignore the will of the Catalan people once more and continue to persecute them? That is the main question now. Elections are to be listened to. They are a way for citizens to channel their demands. They are not meant simply to be a formal show of democracy. Can the will of the people prevail or will force overrule it?

Frankly, it is hard to believe that Spain's conservative People's Party government will actually respect the result of these elections. Therefore, it is vital that the European Union oversee the results to ensure they are truly respected, and to erase any doubts about the outcome. Above all, the EU can help ensure from the start that with the results of these elections on December 21, the abuses will end. Europe's absence so far, and its declaration that this is an "internal matter" for Spain, threatens to become a serious mid to long-term problem.

The EU has a duty to uphold democracy. What the citizens express with their votes cannot be just a mark on a sheet of paper, but a choice that will be implemented, so that our future can be built on a democratic foundation. That is the difference between a real democracy and a formal democracy, one that is just for show.

The people’s votes must not just be counted. They must count.

We know that for the European institutions, where representatives of all the EU member states rule, this is an uncomfortable situation. However, if the European Union, which has faced a series of crises over recent years, does not wish to lose its fundamental and foundational values, it needs to help avoid a democratic crisis and the impact that would have on the most dynamic regional economy in southern Europe.

Let’s not forget that the Spanish government has a deficit that is out of control, or that the governing PP party operates with a level of structural corruption unseen anywhere else in Europe, with symptoms that now stretch across many sectors. For the sake of all, to avoid further contagion, and to help consolidate the European project, the EU must step in at our hour of need.

Oriol Junqueras was vice president of the regional government of Catalonia until October 2017. He is currently being held in Estremera prison, in Madrid.

Related stories on these topics:

cinceur

“the ultra-right carries out violence with impunity on Catalonia’s streets” – was where it started to go downhill….

This man is supposedly a “serious” politician.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 8:01 AM CET

Francisco

??

Posted on 12/3/17 | 8:54 AM CET

trisul

Maybe this article is a bit exaggerated, however, the people of Catalonia must be included in the administration and vote counting process.

Madrid can doubt certain local officials, but if Madrid has no trust in the people of Catalonia as a whole, then Spain has lost all legitimate rights in that territory and Catalonia must be granted independence.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 8:56 AM CET

Francisco

By presenting their case as one of democracy against repression Mr Junqueras chooses to align with fake news. Three key elements are missing on his claims; the fact that Mr Junqueras is in prison for breaking with the Spanish constitution unilaterally imposing independence in Cataluña after running an illegal referendum that violated all standards for transparency. Second, the fact that Mr Junqueras lead a government that has never had the majority of the catalan vote. Independent parties only got parliamentary majority that they wanted to interprete as a mandate for implementing independence, something disproved by all polls of any color. And finally, the fact that the catalan police in control of civil order is a body trained, managed and instructed at arms lenght from Madrid. As international press reports show, only scattered and few marginal incidents of radical groups have taken place in Cataluña in spite of what Mr Junqueras pretends in order to generate international alarm. A surprising low level of violence in light of the argument mounted by nationalist of citing violence as a way to legitimize their position.
As responsable for the Catalan economy, Mr Junqueras is disqualified after
presiding over the exodus of 2800+ companies following his government attempted coup.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 8:58 AM CET

Jodocus6

Meh, not interested in having the EU used as a tool for national politics. Plus it runs against subsidiarity. And the financial and economic cost is way to high.

If I might point to the US to put hings a little into, can you imagine the Federal government to step in and organise elections in Texas, Florida or California on the say-so of a bunch of secessinists?

The writer continually refers to the “the will of the people” which coming from him is totally hypocritical considering that his party and that of Carles Puigdemont chose to conduct a illegal referendum which the vast majority of Catalans did not take part in. The secessionist are already starting to cry foul because they are afraid they may not have the support they thought they had and will not win a majority.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 10:52 AM CET

Karurosu Inu

I particularly find it pretty astonishing how selective different parties and movements are when they talk about the “values” of the EU. In this particular case, conveniently forgetting that both “rule of law” and “democracy” (here as the will of the people) are at the very same level. It is not as if you choose one instead of the other when it suits you.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 12:16 PM CET

freddie silver

@ Jodocus 6,
“…not interested in having the EU used as a tool for national politics…”
The purpose of the EU (ref “Europa” publication – see Internet), is to promote peace and end conflicts between member states. How can you achieve that if the INTERNAL peace of a nation is threatened? No matter what the cause is, the internal peace of Spain has been disrupted.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 12:19 PM CET

freddie silver

@ Francisco,
“…As responsable for the Catalan economy, Mr Junqueras is disqualified after
presiding over the exodus of 2800+ companies following his government attempted coup…”
Can I put forward the hypothesis that the Madrid government suggested (in a friendly way of course) to the 2800+ companies to leave Catalonia as a means to pressure the separatist movement and threaten the future of an independent economy??

Is EU a club of the old nation states only? The talk about us all being European is very fine, but how then is this an “internal matter” from a European perspective?

Posted on 12/3/17 | 1:27 PM CET

Tom

“Therefore, it is vital that the European Union oversee the results to ensure they are truly respected, and to erase any doubts about the outcome. Above all, the EU can help ensure from the start that with the results of these elections on December 21, the abuses will end.”

Can anyone work out what it is that he is asking for?

Posted on 12/3/17 | 1:51 PM CET

Francisco

Freddie silver.
Ref; my previous post.
(Extract of) your comment.

My reply: No, I am sorry but you may not claim that. As a member of the spanish financial community I was witness to the deposits run suffered by banks in Cataluña that prompted the exodus of the two main banks in the region. Other companies followed suit when realizing the risk of being left out of the EU and in an uncertain legal void. More so when EU officials confirmed their lack of support for the coup. The final test is the stepping down of the economic minister of Cataluña hours before the coup. Likewise, Cataluna lost its opportunity to harbor the EMA due to the same uncertainty. Only by taking a very relaxed view can anyone dream of companies not worrying about such scenario. And only from a politically biased stanpoint or a very distant uninformed stand can anyone imagine the central govt can influence private 2800+ company’s in that way in current Spain )or influence EMA decisions)Contrary to your claim many of those companies that have left Cataluna have gone into great lengths not to offend nationalist politicias with whom they will need to maintaine a future relation if they regain govt., something to happen sooner or later.

Unfortunately, reading facts in obstruct ways so as to make them satisfy private agendas is part of the fake-news wave we are seeing more and more often in radical populist politicians.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 2:25 PM CET

Babu Cela

Part of the government is in jail for not recognizing the constitutional court, to avoid the escape of justice as it has done @KRLS, for skipping the law, for trying to break the Spanish state, for facing the Catalan society.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 2:33 PM CET

Vishnou

He is properly asking for an election observation mission under the EU umbrella. Such a mission can only but check that the election process is properly put in place and the rule of low respected for the matter. It can by no means make an interpretation of the results. So the request is but a communication excercise aiming at pretending Spain is not a democracy and that Francoism is still alive. Again, more autonomy, ie the possibility, like Flanders, to be representend in formal economic missions abroad: independence is going way too far and wouldn’t serve Catalonia’s interests. As to Puigdemont, who hopes to be reelected as its leader, he is not the proper leader because it exarcebates tensions instead of encouraging a dialogue, despite of what he says.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 2:37 PM CET

Vishnou

…. “rule of law”: so sorry 🙂

Posted on 12/3/17 | 2:39 PM CET

Martina

I am catalan.
Please don’t believe any word of ORIOL JUNQUERAS.
In fact, it was the Independe Process who has woken up some radical grous, who were slep before the process.
Catalunya has recovered peace after Spanish goverment has taken Catalan institutions. Catalan Government is in jail to prevent them from doing any of their madness. In fact, sometimes I wonder whether these people should be in jail or in a mental hospital.
Believe comments made by Francisco below. 100% correct.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 2:47 PM CET

freddie silver

@ Francisco,
It is not as simple as you describe it.
1) If there was a run on deposits was that a reason for the banks to leave? Were the banks loosing their solvency and leaving? Everybody knows that in uncertain times there is some panic. Do you know of any bank operating in Catalonia on the borderline of bankruptcy???
2) Companies afraid of being left out of the EU. That soon? The status of an independent Catalonia with respect to the EU is not even remotely known and companies are already running away because of that? I hope that your work in the financial industry is not in investment because you seem to panic in a few days.
3) The EMA story is a fully political issue. Slovakia did not get it because (see articles in Politico) and Amsterdam got it because it was more convenient from many points of view.
4) I do not know why the Catalan economic minister stepped down. It would be interesting to know where he works today. Besides, in a democracy, it is not the first time that a high official resigns, and that for a multitude of reasons. He may simply disagree with the independence idea or how it will be implemented and that is his choice.
5) Companies come and go and change places according to their interests. They need to make money for the stockholders. Le Creusot metal works of France sold cannons to the Germans and Ford did good business with Hitler. US companies are moving to China and creating unemployment in the US. There is no patriotic sentiment, no more in Spain than anywhere else.
6) The companies were careful not to break relations with the province. Sure; they intend to come back. I do not know how many have done so already.
Finally please be aware that in the past I have lived and worked in Barcelona for about 12 years and I know enough about the environment not to fall for what you call “fake news”. Not being a Spanish citizen I have no agenda or any other material interest in Catalonia.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 3:19 PM CET

Giuseppe Marrosu

Due to the way the EU is made and works (an international body run by governments, with little power over those governments and a loose democratic mandate), this requests will not be satisfied.
That is unfortunate because the conflict cannot be settled peacefully by the contenders, and that means only violence, either by Spain as a Country, or by the catalan independentists, will ultimately decide the outcome. Either way there will be a sense of injustice and a lack of legitimacy (it will be either rule of law regardless of the will of the people, or implementation of the will of the people outside the rule of law) and frustration about the EU’s poor ability to solve conflicts and to fight the constituent States when needed.
But this call is not useless. It clarifies which side is responsible for the EU not taking a more pro-active stance: while Catalan independentists call for dialogue and negotiations with mediation by the outside, the spanish government refuses any external intervention, knowing well that the surest way to keep the possession of Catalonia is by dealing with it with spanish law and spanish forces.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 3:31 PM CET

Francisco

Freddie silver

Banckrupcy???? Are you seriously suggesting banks should risk approaching backroupcy before they move??? We dont want or need that type of bank management in Spain neither in europe. Tourist industry is down 4% in a region that heavily depends on it. A funny way to promote democracy when you sidestep the constitution and you dont even have a majority of votes in Cataluña. Spain does not recognize a right of self-determination as neither does any other major european country.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 4:07 PM CET

tony

Does anyone know how this is all playing with the Catalans over the border in France?

Posted on 12/3/17 | 5:34 PM CET

jodocus5

@freddie silver

““…not interested in having the EU used as a tool for national politics…”
The purpose of the EU (ref “Europa” publication – see Internet), is to promote peace and end conflicts between member states. How can you achieve that if the INTERNAL peace of a nation is threatened?” ”

Irrelevant. The EU is not designed to interfere in the internal affairs of nations except if they directly contravene EU regulations (e.g. by violating fair-competition rules). Nations are fully empowered to destroy themselves, and there is nothing the EU can )or should) do about that.

What the EU can do is
(a) negotiate with the country in question to yield control in return for assistance (as it did with Greece) or
(b) threaten offending nation with suspension of voting rights (as it is currently doing with Poland) or even expulsion. And even then it must show cause and secure a unanimous vote by the EU council of Ministers.

” No matter what the cause is, the internal peace of Spain has been disrupted.”

So sad, too bad, never mind. It’s up to Spain to fix that. Not the EU.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 6:21 PM CET

edel

@freddie silver, here on your points to @Francisco;

1) If Catalonia were today independent, it would have set all those banks out of the EU, without the protection of either Spanish or European central banks. No single mayor Catalonian Bank would had survived. Now, chances were very slim of Puigdemont getting its way, but banks need to prove to investments and customers that they protect their interest among anything else.

2) The status of Catalonia-EU are known, how many statements do you need from its leaders? They commented, they wrote, they sent public releases very clearly stated that they are behind the EU members only, aka Spain.

3) On EMA we will never know, but it is known that Barcelona was a top 2 candidate and then was relegated to last position out of the blue. You say it was political, no so, Slovenia candidacy was political since very few current employees of EMA was interested on moving there. Barcelona was in logistics and employee support in the very top. (you can read the dossier, it is public)

5) True, most companies have no loyalties but to their button-down finances. Now, I don’t see what your point is in the rest.

6) For the companies to return it will be a lengthy process. There are legal (since I am sure you cannot change several addresses in such a short time), logistical problems (since there are contracts with providers and leases already signed) and psychological (how credible sound a company that make multiple questionable different changes in such a short period of time).

7) Glad that you lived in Catalonia, me too. I would say even more, I used to be much in favor of pro-independence parties there, until in 2010 they stopped worrying for Catalonia’s people and only for 48% of the population and disregard the majority when not only worry for their legacies alone. They used to be universalists to become egocentrically provincial.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 6:22 PM CET

Marta

Many here are missing the point. This is not about airing your personal views aboht Mr Junqueras (which are very much debatable) but to make sure that these elections are not manipulated by the Spanish government given their long history of corruption. It’s simple. Voting needs to be clean and fair and the counting needs to be done by a separate neutral body. It’s the least the EU can do. This is not asking for the moon and is what the majority of Catalans want regardless of who they support. Nothing more nothing less. Mr Junqueras (in prison without charge) is simply asking for a guarantee that the 21D elections are overseen to avoid foul play by the Spanish central government.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 6:45 PM CET

edel

@Marta, it has been posted already that Spain ranks among the top in TheEconomist’s Democracy Index, even better placed than countries like France, Japan, USA or Belgium.

In Catalonia both sides will be well represented so hard to fool anyone. In some rural areas constitutionalist parties won’t have much of representation so there is where there may need a oversight. At the end, you can see the votes for each polling station. The independentism just want to ask for something Madrid, or any other EU country would not have conceded, so then they can blame the results on them.

International monitored are understandable in Ukraine, Venezuela or Syria, not in Spain, Germany or Belgium.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 8:20 PM CET

ana

Calvin

The bulk of the Catalan government is not in jail for being the Catalan government per se. The fact is that a group that belonged to the Catalan government is currently in prison for having violated the law. Your government consistently broke your own norms and regulations, and in a democracy, nobody, no matter how much power he or she may accumulate, is above the law. You broke the law deliberately, you used public funds fraudulently, you played around with people’s hard-worked savings… and now you pay the price.

You also state in your article that the “ultra-right carries out violence with impunity on Catalonia’s streets”. Would you be able to clarify this statement by enumerating the violent acts you refer to? The “ultra” violence that has periodically and predominantly existed in Catalonia is the violence exercised by nationalist and intolerant elements in Catalan society, in other words, many of your pro-independence colleagues.

Regarding ballot boxes: being in favour of them is nothing new in Spain. And in this you coincide with most political parties. The novelty you have brought to Spanish democracy is ballot boxes being used with no control at all; people voting more than once, no legal register of the electorate, ballot boxes placed in public spaces violating the law… As the ex-Vice President of Catalonia, bringing about illegal elections, by using public funds, was obviously not one of your competencies. It would be similar to the Governor of Florida declaring war or a Minister-president from Bavaria voting new taxes to be paid by all Germans.

I do believe the Spanish government will listen to the voters, to both voters, the ones in favour and the ones against independence. Because let’s not forget one very important point in this debate: the independence movement is a minority in Catalan society, a minority that would like to impose its will over the rest of the Catalans and Spanish. Furthermore, these are elections to choose the autonomous government of Catalonia, not a referendum on independence. If you would like to opt for independence, then please follow democratic procedures: go to the Spanish parliament, where the electorate of the nation is democratically represented.

Last but not least, there is no need to have the EU oversee the Catalan elections. As you know very well, your political party will have representatives overlooking the whole process at each polling school. As you are very aware of this fact, I am to suppose that you have joined the modern fake news trend.

I hope that someday you realize how much damage you have caused to Catalonia, how much pain your movement has originated and how much the Catalan economy is suffering because of your farsighted vision of the world. In the end, the ideas you represent are irrational, antidemocratic, anti-modern and, deep down, chauvinist and on the limit of being bluntly racist. This explains your comments on “Catalan genetics”, which are based on notions that we all thought were buried in the 20th century. But not all is lost: read some books on constitutional democracy, try to imagine how broad our world is, travel, find a friend from Andalusia (you will happily discover that they are not an inferior ethnic group), abandon the tribe, embrace modernity and the ideas of the Enlightenment … your disease, fanatic and obsessive intolerance, might still be cured.

Posted on 12/3/17 | 9:36 PM CET

bluebell

@Francisco
“Spain does not recognize a right of self-determination as neither does any other major european country”

According to Wiki it is not a matter of national law but of International Law and Wiki describes self-determination as …
“The right of people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a jus cogens rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter’s norms.[1][2] It states that a people, based on respect for the principle of equal rights and fair equality of opportunity, have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no interference”

Posted on 12/3/17 | 10:21 PM CET

Joan Borrell

“… and after sending the bulk of the Catalan government to jail.”
Yeah, when you violate the Constitution, they tend to send you to jail. And not only in Spain.

“My party, the Republican Left of Catalonia, agreed to participate in these elections…”
Sounds a bit hypocritical. And not very consistent, if you think these elections take place in those sh*tty circumstances.

“…even though we are facing violence and repression and are basically under siege”
Stop playing the victim, you f@tso. The only victims here are we, ordinary Catalanes.

“That is to say, will they listen to what the voters actually say, or will they ignore the will of the Catalan people once more and continue to persecute them?”
As far as I know, none of us, except a bunch of brainwashed and indoctrinated separatas, wanted all the economic and social disaster that YOU and your acolytes have provoked in just 20 days.
Next try to explain your plataforma electoral a bit better. Do you want us to be OUT of the EU? Do you want another massive relocation of firms to other parts of Spain? Do you want another massive loss in tourism? Do you want an even bigger grieta into the Catalan society?

If not, how the f*#ck are you going to do?
So far you have demonstrated to be the most useless bunch of gilipollas, only comparable to brexitards.

wow

Do an exclusive interview with Pro-EU Alex Slamond and ex-Labour REMAIN MP’s next ………..

Things are not as simple as Remoaners think they are.

Posted on 12/4/17 | 7:01 AM CET

wow

*please ask yourselves *why* Politico would support these clowns.

Posted on 12/4/17 | 7:02 AM CET

wow

(support for a MINORITY of voters in Catalan (and Scotland lost) against the majority of voters, but absolute hatred for the UK MAJORITY in the UK referendum, which is evil)

Posted on 12/4/17 | 7:04 AM CET

freddie silver

@ tony,
In a recent article of a French magazine ( “Causeur” , on line and in print) there was an article about Perpignan, the largest city close to the Spanish French border in the Catalan area.
The city is divided between the gypsy community (of Spanish origin and who maintain close ties with the Spanish families) and the African community (North and Central Africa) that grew out of migration (legal or illegal).
The division is based on an ongoing drug war between the two factions. Crime and poverty are the main features of life in Perpignan except for the dealers and distributors.
Under such circumstances, Catalan independence and politics takes a very secondary place.

Posted on 12/4/17 | 7:41 AM CET

IVF

This letter is an insult to intelligence. This would be unpublishable in a high school fanzine. One thing is freedom of press, another thing is not having a minimum editorial control over publishing falsehoods and a minimum of journalism standards. This is worse than a tabloid. Word in the street is that Politico has such a partial view of this issue because the get some funding from certain Catalan government?

Posted on 12/4/17 | 12:18 PM CET

IVF

I will have to republish this in Facebook as Politico is also censors the comments of the website:

This letter is an insult to intelligence. This would be unpublishable in a high school fanzine. One thing is freedom of press, another thing is not having a minimum editorial control over publishing falsehoods and a minimum of journalism standards. Word in the street is that Politico has such a partial view of this issue because the get some funding from certain Catalan government?

Posted on 12/4/17 | 12:20 PM CET

Miguel

The only thing that Mr. Junqueras knows how to do is to lie. He perfectly knows that he can put an inspector on each table of the ballot to control one hundred percent all the votes. So nobody or anything is necessary and could be better than that. The only goal of Mr. Junqueras is to mess up the situation. He is trying to justify things and facts that are unjustifiable –as his own behaviour.

Posted on 12/4/17 | 2:15 PM CET

Humm

We might have an imperfect democracy, but to suggest that the central government of Rajoy is going to interfere with the results of the Catalan elections is ridiculous. Think of the 2004 National Election after the 11-M bombing in Madrid, when PP was ousted out of power and Zapatero got elected. Those were really “major” elections with big geopolitical implications.. If PP could have ever been tempted of interfering with the process was back then….and they didn´t . The Catalonian election is a minor election by comparison.
The electoral system, how the vote is held at the voting stations and the counting, overseeing by representatives of all political parties, makes tampering very unlikely. Junqueras´party, ERC, has a massive presence in Catalunya. They are going to know the voting results at each voting station. A different matter is that they might not like the results.

Posted on 12/4/17 | 3:34 PM CET

Andreas

Spain is a democratic country under attack from your contributor.

Posted on 12/4/17 | 4:43 PM CET

Calvin

Sorry @bluebell. What you state is not accurate.

Wikipedia is not a source of international law. And what the UN states is applicable to nations under colonial or foreign rule only.

If this were not the case: can my household seek independence and cease paying taxes?

Posted on 12/4/17 | 8:14 PM CET

guilherme

Catalonia´s population is a mixture of native Catalans, Spanish immigrants and their descendants as well as of other Spanish residents. It is clear that the Spanish in Catalonia are mostly against the independence. Maintaining the foreign rule in Catalonia the ethnic composition will further shift in favour of the Spanish and the hope for home rule (independence) will fade. It is strange that the Catalans have not the right that the less numerous nations as Slovaks, Slovenes, Croats, Estonians etc. in the recent decades achieved.

Posted on 12/4/17 | 9:44 PM CET

SEBI2

The aim of Mr. Junqueras’ letter is to put blame into Spain and the Spanish government. He can not be taken seriously. His party has proven mastery in intoxication campaigns.

Posted on 12/5/17 | 2:14 AM CET

Andreas

The independence movement has no credibility any more at all. It is a populistic supremacist post-truth propaganda machine. But after decades of brain washing I have my doubts if the Catalan people see through that fog. As a foreigner living here many years I am sad. It is such a wonderful country with wonderful people. But give people a little flag and tell them they are different and better…

Posted on 12/6/17 | 10:48 AM CET

Cesar Santos Gil

Junqueras’s poorly articulated letter from Estremera Prison is a good reminder of the reasons why he is still in prison. These are not related to his ideology, which, admittedly, many Spaniards find offensive and which is intellectually insulting to anyone reasonably well informed today. Rather, these reasons have to do with the fact that he decided to break the law repeatedly and was therefore prosecuted. As a former member of a regional government which boasted in violating not only the Spanish Constitution, but also Catalonia’s Statute of Autonomy and insisted in holding an illegal referendum with no democratic guarantees, Mr Junqueras is not in position to impart any lessons on democracy. He should rather make sure he is defending his political project within the law, if he wants to recover his freedom.